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The Secret to Nikki Hiltz’s Olympic Breakthrough

tpitre — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 17:10:52 +0000

It was a slow kill in a very fast race. Nikki Hiltz, easily recognizable in a distinctive black leopard print Lululemon onesie amid a sea of ubiquitous fluorescent kits, sprung out from lane one with the gun and settled on the rail. A hard-charging Elle St. Pierre led the field through the first 300 meters in nearly 45 seconds flat—a blazing 4:01 minute per mile pace. Yet Hiltz, tucked in fourth, looked unfazed, their orange, pink, and black Puma spikes bouncing off the track with each stride.

It was the women’s 1500 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field on June 30 in Eugene, Oregon. And Hiltz was waiting.

In the buildup to that race, the 29-year-old Hiltz had put in months of training, logging 70 miles a week at their high-altitude training base in Flagstaff, Arizona, along with routine strength work and numerous speed and double lactate threshold sessions on the track. Unlike in years past, however, Hiltz approached this race with another layer of preparation.

They got serious about prioritizing their mental health last December, when they sought out a sports psychologist.

“What’s going to set you apart [from your competitors] is your belief, your mindset, and your mental health,” Hiltz says. “The Olympics, the Olympic Trials, it’s a huge emotional thing. I want to cover all my bases so that I go in ready for anything.”

Every week, Hiltz met with a sports psychologist to dive into “everything you would possibly talk to a therapist about,” as they put it. From their upbringing in Aptos, California, where they found a love for track as a youth and also began to experiment with their gender identity at age six, to career hiccups, and coming out, twice.

Hiltz had previously come out as gay while in college. And in 2021, their gender identity .

“It’s been really helpful to unpack,” Hiltz says. “You bring it with you to the track. Whether or not it affects you during the race, it’s a part of you.”

The result? Hiltz has had their best year on the track yet. They won their first global medal—a silver in the 1500 meters at the World Athletics Indoor Championships on March 3 in Glasgow— and they made their first Olympic team in June by winning the 1500-meter finals in Eugene.

“I’ve found through working with her I can be more confrontational and assertive, and it doesn’t mean that people aren’t going to like me or make space for me,” Hiltz says. “That’s been really helpful when it comes to things like correcting people who get my pronouns wrong or things like that. That has translated to being more confident on the track. I can take up space here.”

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Making Changes

Working on enhancing their mental health has been a game-changer, especially in comparison to their mindset three years ago. In March 2021, on Transgender Day of Visibility, Hiltz, whose sex was assigned as female at birth, took to social media to publicly address their gender identity.

“The best way I can explain my gender is as fluid. Sometimes I wake up feeling like a powerful queen and other days I wake up feeling as if I’m just a guy being a dude,” Hiltz wrote in an post.

Hiltz has expressed a desire to eventually have top surgery as well as hormone replacement therapy, the latter of which they will refrain from beginning until their competitive running career is over. As per official rules instituted by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, athletes who were assigned female at birth are allowed to compete in women’s categories so long as they haven’t received hormone therapy.

The identity announcement on Instagram, which occurred two months before the Covid-delayed 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, was met with a mix of support and hostility. Hiltz was inundated with public comments and private direct messages.

The political climate toward transgender people in America at the time was less than accepting. On a national level, transgender inclusivity—particularly in sports—became a political linchpin. In 2021, Arkansas became the first state in the country to ban gender-affirming health care for minors. Another 154 anti-trans bills followed that year, with the number rising each year thereafter.

“It was a really hard time,” Hiltz says. “I wasn’t ready for that backlash. I did have a lot of love and support, but I wasn’t used to getting that much ugliness or hate. It really affected me later on that season.”

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When Hiltz lined up at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June 2021, they showed early promise, winning their semi-final heat. But they crumbled in the final, finishing in last place, over 12 seconds behind winner St. Pierre. Their long-term dream of running for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics was over. Hiltz later revealed that stress-induced sickness leading into the race had impacted their performance. They felt neither confident nor calm going into the competition. Simply showing up despite feeling scared and vulnerable, however, was necessary to display inclusivity in sports, Hiltz says.

Their career continued to transition. Hiltz, who had been sponsored by Adidas since 2018, didn’t re-sign with the brand after their contract expired at the end of 2021. Instead, Hiltz joined Lululemon in 2022 as a brand ambassador, describing the partnership as a gut decision.

“This was a brand that understood what I was trying to do on the track and reach all of my personal goals, but also knew that I was trying to grow the sport in other ways,” says Hiltz, who had relocated from San Diego to Flagstaff to train under Northern Arizona University track coach Mike Smith.

“It just felt right,” Hiltz says. “Mike Smith is a great guy, and I feel like we connected right away. It was definitely a leap of faith. I was looking at the big picture—that this was hopefully going to set me up for a good Olympic year in two years.”

Making Progress

Since prioritizing the mental side of sport, Hiltz has won five U.S. titles, set the American record in the mile, and qualified for the Paris Olympics. (Photo: Getty)

With time, patience, renewed confidence, and hard work, Hiltz progressed. In February 2023, they became the first openly nonbinary U.S. national champion when they won the 1500 meters at the U.S. indoor championships. Two months later, Hiltz won the U.S. 1-mile road running championship, and then in June they completed a sweep of U.S. championship events by winning the 1500 at the U.S. outdoor championships.

Two weeks later, at the Monaco Diamond League meet, they finished a strong sixth place in the fastest women’s mile in history, crossing the line in 4:16.35 to break the American mile record that had stood for 38 years.

Although they missed making the 1500 meter finals at last summer’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hiltz has rebounded with a strong season so far in 2024. Not only did they win another indoor U.S. title in the 1500, they also brought home the silver medal in the event from the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Scotland in March.

They believe their newfound priority on their mental fitness this season has kept them mentally and emotionally sound more than ever—and racing to the top of the podium.

“It is hard work at times to prioritize this stuff, especially when you’re so busy, and life gets in the way, but I think it’s super important,” Hiltz says. “It’s unlocked something in me and allowed me to excel at the next level.”

For 100 consecutive days leading up to the Olympic Trials, they invested in a daily guided meditation practice using the app. Journaling also became a daily habit, writing clear goals as a way to manifest their ambitions. Hiltz has also maintained a list of inspirational and motivational words and quotes in the notes app on their smartphone, referring to it whenever they experience moments of doubt. This collective mental toolbox will continue to be part of their preparation leading into their Olympics Games debut.

Hiltz’ partner, , also an elite runner who competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at this year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, has seen positive results first-hand.

“They’ve done a great job of prioritizing their mental health during this Olympic build,” Gee says. “I’ve noticed meditation and working with a sports psychologist has contributed to their focus and resilience, which has led to confident performances this season.”

That digging deep over the final 100 to outsprint the field and break the tape in the women’s 1500 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, a race many consider to be the deepest American field ever assembled, with four Olympians, three national champions, and seven sub-4 minute performers.

Hiltz not only ran the second-fastest time ever of any American in the women’s 1500, clocking a trials record of 3:55.33, they cemented a spot on Team USA, achieving a lifelong ambition. The result, a personal best for Hiltz, catapulted their ranking to in the women’s 1500. Currently, they have the in the world heading into the Olympic Games, just ahead of American teammates Emily Mackay andPierre.

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The Olympic Trials win, on the last day of Pride Month, was of particular significance for Hiltz. In a post-race interview with NBC Sports, they said they had dedicated the race to the LGBTQ+ community, commenting, “This is bigger than just me.”

“Nikki’s participation in the Paris Olympics as one of the few nonbinary athletes serves as an important moment for Queer representation in sports,” Gee says. “It underscores the fundamental right of transgender and nonbinary individuals to show up as their authentic selves and belong wherever they choose to be.”

Hiltz has leaned into advocating for the LGBTQ+ community in sports and beyond throughout their pro career. They founded the annual in 2020, through which they have donated $172,000 to the, an organization that provides crisis and suicide intervention for LGBTQ+ youth. The 2024 race on October 12 will fundraise for the nonprofit, an organization that offers health and wellness care to the transgender community.

“Something I always go back to is a motto I live by: ‘Be the person you needed when you were younger.’ That has really driven me,” Hiltz says. “It’s important because you’re making space for a young version of Nikki out there now.”

Onto the World Stage��

Elle St. Pierre (3:55.99), Nikki Hiltz (3:55.33), and Emily Mackay (3:55.90) all ran personal best times to punch their tickets to the Paris Olympics. (Photo: Kevin Morris)

While Hiltz still gets inundated with comments about their trans and nonbinary identity—both positive and negative—prioritizing their mental health and establishing a routine of mental wellbeing practices has helped them face and overcome the negativity.

“I feel very at peace with myself,” Hiltz says. “It’s been so great to personally do the work to know that I belong, this is a legit thing, and trans people exist.”

The Olympics will serve as an even greater platform for Hiltz to promote inclusivity while competing on running’s biggest stage. Hiltz, who will participate in the women’s 1500 meters, beginning on August 6 in Paris, will be one of few nonbinary athletes across all sports who will compete in Paris.

“Now it’s the world that I have to race. That’s really exciting to me,” Hiltz says. “Everyone is just leveling up right now. I’m excited to be a part of that, and to just go out there and see what I can do.”

Their goal is to advance to the August 10 final to have an opportunity to race for a medal. They’ll face a deep field that will include world record holder and two-time reigning Olympic champion

“Nikki is a formidable competitor,” Gee says. “They are strong, fast, strategic, and confident. With their current form and mentality, I believe they are capable of making the 1500 Olympic final and finishing in the top half of that race.”

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This Teen Ultrarunner Wants to Take on the World’s Most Prestigious Races

Mallory Arnold — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 13:00:30 +0000

Last November, 17-year-old Sebastian Salsbury received an email reminder. He had 13 days to decide about entering the race lottery for the 2024 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, regarded as one of the most prestigious trail events in the world.

Rules stipulate that each lottery applicant must be at least 18 years old on race day. On January 20, Salsbury will finally meet the age requirement, five years after he technically ran a qualifying time to enter the lottery for the first time.

It’s been a goal he’s been progressing toward for years. In 2020, when Salsbury was 13, he completed the in Arizona in 15 hours 49 minutes and 32 seconds, well within the 17-hour time limit necessary to qualify for the Western States lottery.��

“It’s hard to put that experience into words,” Salsbury says. “It was one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever been on. That race made me feel like I was doing the right thing in my life.”��

Salsbury at Nine Trails 2017, age 11. (Photo: Howie Stern)

Starting Young

Salsbury, who grew up in Santa Barbara, California, was attracted to the trails at a young age. Throughout his childhood, his parents often brought him to nearby trails to hike. The hikes gradually transitioned into jogs, and Salsbury’s relationship with the outdoors continued to grow. The mountains, he says, were a playground.

Though Salsbury played basketball, football, and soccer growing up, his love for running took over. He quit the other sports after junior high school to minimize risk for injury, he says, and to dedicate more time to running.

A few years after Salsbury’s entry into racing—his first was a local 5K on the road when he was four—he ran the Santa Barbara Red Rock Trail Run. Despite being just nine, he kept up with his father for all 28 miles. The following year, for the Santa Barbara Nine Trails, Salsbury traversed 35 miles with nearly 12,000 feet of vertical gain from the Jesusita trailhead to Romero Canyon trailhead and back, again alongside his father, a road marathoner.

Salsbury and his father at Nine Trails, 2016. (Photo: Sebastian Salsbury)

Next, Salsbury entered the Black Canyon 100K in Arizona. He recalled the point-to-point race as one of his most difficult running experiences to date.

“I was basically crying,” Salsbury remembers, adding that his hydration vest kept digging into his ribs. “I loved the feeling of working hard and going through really low moments and overcoming them. I crave it.”

Supported for the last 20 miles by his coach at the time, Tyler Hansen, Salsbury crossed the finish feeling both defeated and uplifted. The Black Canyon race gave him the confidence to continue challenging himself in ultrarunning.

“My best friends don’t understand,” Salsbury says about the pursuit of ultras, which he envisions including some of the most technically demanding and prestigious races in the world: the Western States 100 in California, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc through the French Alps, as well as the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado. Salsbury admits that running disrupts his social life, and also that he doesn’t mind the solitude the sport necessitates. In fact, he welcomes it.

“I like the feeling of being alone in the mountains,” Salsbury says. “It’s a great way to free your mind.”

Given that he is still a teen—the average age of trail runners is in the mid-30s—Salsbury has not been immune to negative comments over the years. “It’s not cool at all to hate, but I can still see where someone would be coming from, seeing a kid doing all that stuff,” Salsbury says. “There are going to be people that troll and hate for no reason. That’s just life.”

A Purposeful Progression

The training required to undertake ultras is out of this world for a typical high school runner. To ensure he’s programming himself with sufficient miles without overloading his still-developing body, Salsbury sought the guidance of his longtime role model, pro trail runner Hayden Hawks. The two met when Salsbury was 14, and their camaraderie clicked naturally.

“I had lots of mentors help me at a young age in my running journey, and I felt the responsibility to do the same with Sebastian,” says Hawks, 32. “We have taken a patient and gradual approach, developing strength, speed, and a foundation that will help him build into the longer distance races at an older age.”

Salsbury in 2016 versus 2023. (Photo: Nick Presniakov)

Hawks has coached Salsbury for the past two years, carefully mapping out a plan that tallies 50 miles weekly spread across six days. Salisbury complements the mileage with a combination of hiking, mountain biking, and intervals on an indoor bike as part of his cross training. Three days a week, he does strength exercises at Varient Training Lab in Santa Barbara. To fit it all in so he could have ample opportunity to train and compete, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Salsbury enrolled in West River Academy, an online private school program.

“I have zero regrets,” Salsbury says. “The opportunity that it’s given me to travel with my family and run and be able to guide my days how I want and learn at my own pace, I’m grateful for that.”

The online program lasts up to three hours a day, which is “a lot less than standard high school,” Salsbury chuckles. In 2022, he researched computer engineering and built a computer from scratch. This year, as part of the online curriculum, he’s learning to speak German in addition to researching for a project about coffee and sustainability, which he is especially interested in as a part-time certified barista. Salisbury works at a local coffee shop twice a week.

So far, he’s enjoying the unique balance of online learning and ultrarunning. “I like to keep myself busy,” he says. “I’ve always had this next-level energy. Obviously it goes into running, but it’s who I am as a person.”

His days are hardly routine compared to the average high schooler. On a recent Thursday, Salsbury started the day with a three-minute cold plunge before he spent the remainder of the morning packing running shoes, thermal layers, his COROS watch, and a heart rate monitor ahead of a four-day trip to Boulder, Colorado, to train with a friend at altitude.

Living at sea level in Santa Barbara, Salsbury doesn’t often have the opportunity to run at altitude beyond twice a year, mostly “just a vacation with my family where I get to do some running,” he says.

As much as he has run over the years, Salsbury says he’s been fortunate to never have had any serious injuries. This year, a growth spurt of eight inches led to severe shin splints, and Salsbury, who is now 6-foot-4 and 162 pounds, took four months off from running.

Now, life is back to business as usual. Salsbury is planning ahead. His next race is the La Cuesta Ranch 25K in San Luis Obispo, California, in late January. After he graduates from high school in June 2024, he wants to pursue a running career ideally full-time, though he hasn’t stated when he aims to turn professional.

“I’ve always had the intention to be one of the greatest ultrarunners in the world one day. That will continue to be my goal,” Salsbury says. “I want to leave a positive impact on the sport and be an inspiration to other athletes of any age, but obviously the youth because that’s how I grew up. People can judge and say whatever they want, but I do want to be the best of all time.”

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This All-Girls Running Club in Kenya Protects Young Athletes

ntriolo — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 20:53:58 +0000

Agnes Tirop was a 25-year-old rising professional distance runner who represented Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 5,000-meters. One month after she competed in her first Olympic Games, Tirop set a world record for 10K. Just as her promising career began to bud on the world stage, her life came to an abrupt end on October 13, 2021.

Tirop was found stabbed to death by her husband Ibrahim Rotich at their home in Iten, in the Rift Valley of Kenya, a training hub for many of the world’s top professional distance runners. Rotich, then 41, attempted to flee the country, but he was arrested and charged with murder.

Tirop was a victim of gender-based violence (GBV), one of the most widespread human rights issues in the world. GBV, as , can include publicly or privately inflicted physical or sexual harm as well as economic suppression, threats of violence, manipulation, and coercion through various ways, including intimate partner violence and child marriage. According to the United Nations, while men and boys also suffer from GBV, women and girls are most at risk worldwide.

(Photo: Courtesy Nala Track Club)

��ǲ��’s , founded in 2001, states that the country’s women and girls make up a disproportionately higher statistic. More than 40 percent of Kenyan women experience GBV in their lifetime, and one in three women in Kenya has experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. In the U.S., 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the , and more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence each year. about domestic violence show that one in three women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.

Female runners are among those numbers. Many Kenyan professional runners can fall into marriages or partnerships that take away their autonomy. Some of these women—powerful, driven, and successful in their careers—remain under the watch and control of their partners. Most women in GBV situations don’t know how to escape, or fear the repercussions of doing so.

Tirop’s tragic death made international headlines and served as a wake-up call about the dangers elite female athletes can face during their careers.

(Photo: Courtesy Nala Track Club)

The Courage to Stand Up

In the aftermath of Tirop’s death, 34-year-old Kenyan professional marathoner Mary Ngugi took a stance.

“With my platform as an athlete, I have a voice that I can use to change,” says Ngugi, who has raced professionally for more than a decade and twice finished on the podium at the Boston Marathon. “I can’t change the whole of Kenya in one minute, but I can make a change in athletics with girls.”

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Ngugi established in Nyahururu Town, Kenya, in October 2022. Through the club, located 100 miles north of the country’s capital Nairobi, Ngugi aims to shelter and support young girls as they simultaneously pursue their education and ambitions of becoming elite champion runners.

“The best thing is to mentor them when they’re young, to empower them so they know that they deserve better, [and] to know that they have a choice,” Ngugi says.

Ngugi, who is based in Leeds, England, with her husband, British sports photographer Chris Cooper, says that traveling the world to compete over the years exposed her to fairer treatment of women and girls compared to what she witnessed and experienced firsthand while living in Kenya.

(Photo: Courtesy Nala Track Club)

“There are some things that have always frustrated me,” Ngugi says. “When I was 17, there were young girls in [training] camps who were abused by their coaches. Some [girls] are married at a tender age because of money.”

Ngugi says it’s not uncommon for young female runners to be afraid of their male coaches. Her idea for a girls-only running camp has been years in the making, initially as a way to give back to the community. Not until after the death of Tirop, whom she knew as an acquaintance, did Ngugi move her mission forward.

“It took a lot of courage to start,” she says.

Ngugi funded the camp entirely when it opened, covering the costs of housing, school fees, food, training gear, and other basic supplies for eight girls. Unlike most traditional training camps for runners in Kenya, which typically consist of small single-room apartments, the girls at Nala Track Club live together in a home under the supervision of a matron, who cares for and cooks for them. Ngugi stipulates that each member of the club must attend school if they want to remain a part of Nala.

“We don’t want to be just another running camp. We have loads of those in Kenya. Education makes a difference,” Ngugi says. “As much as I want all of my girls to make it, I know some won’t. That’s the reality of things. But I would like for them to come out of the camp with an education so that they can do something with their lives, pursue a cause or a degree.”

Should any of the girls become successful in their athletic careers, Ngugi’s mission is also to ensure they are equipped to make informed decisions, especially financially, that are in their best interests.

“These athletes could potentially earn millions of shillings,” Ngugi says. “How are you going to invest? How are you going to sign a contract? How are you going to carry yourself with the press when you get an interview? We want them to be able to handle themselves.”

(Photo: Courtesy Nala Track Club)

Women Coaching Women

In a year since founding Nala Track Club, Kenya’s first all-girls running camp, its members have doubled to 16 girls and women between the ages of 14 and 22. Ngugi says the camp is now fully supported by Nike, her sponsor since 2006. She works closely with teachers and schools throughout Kenya to recruit national-caliber talent and prospects.

Ngugi splits her time training in the UK and Kenya. When she’s not on the ground in her home country, she helps oversee Nala from afar under the guidance of a few certified running coaches that help craft the training program, which is shared with Lilian Mugo, a local woman whom Ngugi is helping to mentor into a running coach.

Ngugi wants to develop female coaches in Kenya. To her knowledge, few, if any, women are currently coaching female runners in Kenya. “That’s one big reason why we started Nala,” Ngugi says.

(Photo: Courtesy Nala Track Club)

Ngugi has never been coached by a woman at any point in her career. It’s a role she envisions transitioning into full time in the future, after she retires from competitive running. After a successful track career that included becoming a two-time world half marathon medalist, Ngugi transitioned to road marathons in 2019. She was runner-up at the 2021 Boston Marathon and finished third in 2022. Ngugi placed fifth at this year’s New York City Marathon.

Achieving that level of success as an elite athlete is a dream, though not the lone goal, for the girls of the camp. At the very least, Ngugi wants to develop members of the track club to compete on the international level feeling empowered. The name of the camp, Nala, is a Swahili word in reference to lioness and also connotes the idea of a successful African woman.

“I want them to be more than just athletes. I want the girls to know their worth and to be role models to others,” Ngugi says. “I always tell my girls, ‘remember what Nala stands for: Powerful. Confidence.’ That is what we want our girls to be.”

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Can This Former Track Star Win the New York City Marathon?

ntriolo — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 00:48:13 +0000

Edward Cheserek has wanted to race the New York City Marathon ever since he was a teenage runner in New Jersey. His objective to attempt the distance of 26.2 miles is part of his long-term blueprint as he transitions away from the track and onto the road.

So far, the 29-year-old—who left behind a legacy at the University of Oregon as the most decorated NCAA runner in history with 17 national titles—is proving he can measure up as he matures into longer road races. His long-awaited marathon debut is one the most intriguing in recent memory.

“I’ve been running track for a long time, and I feel like I’m losing my speed,” Cheserek said. “That’s why I decided this [marathon] is the best option. I decided to move up slowly.”

Of the six half marathons that Cheserek has competed in—his longest competitive distance to date—he has finished in the top ten in every race, including winning the Copenhagen Half Marathon in 59:11 in September. Cheserek admitted that even he was surprised and described himself as “rusty” in what was only his third road race in 2023.

‘The Hard Work Is the Training’

Now, Cheserek says he is�� “ready and excited” when he talks about competing in the New York City Marathon, taking place at 9:10 A.M. ET on Sunday, November 5. The world’s largest marathon, and one of the most iconic sporting events across the globe, is expected to include more than 50,000 runners from 150 countries.

The New York City Marathon also brings together one of the toughest competitive fields in the sport, but unlike other major marathons like Berlin, this race does not have pacemakers as it is not a world record-focused course. Cheserek will compete in the that will include 2021 New York City Marathon winner Albert Korir of Kenya, 2020 London Marathon champion Shura Kitata of Ethiopia, as well as Somali-Dutch runner Abdi Nageeye, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. Ethiopian Tamirat Tola, the 2022 world champion who has run a personal best of 2:03:39, is the fastest entrant in New York’s elite field.

Cheserek’s opponents, however, will no longer include defending champion Evans Chebet and two-time winner Geoffrey Kamworor, both of whom withdrew from the marathon in mid-October. Chebet offered Cheserek a few words prior to his debut, “The hard work is training, but the race is easier.”

Preparing for the Podium

Cheserek began his marathon training in June, running upwards of 150 miles a week, his longest run topping out at 25 miles. Though he is based in Flagstaff, Arizona—a distance running hotbed 7,000 feet above sea level—Cheserek opted to prepare for the marathon while living in Kaptagat, Kenya, located nearly 8,000 feet above sea level and offering a better training advantage compared to in Flagstaff, he says. In Kenya, Cheserek said he would often run alongside Kelvin Kiptum, who broke the world record at the Chicago Marathon in October.

“He has more experience than me,” Cheserek says, laughing. “It was tough, but nothing is easy in training.”

Cheserek trains under the guidance of Andy Powell, his college coach with whom he has returned to train after a brief stint with Stephen Haas, coach of 2022 New York City women’s champion, Sharon Lokedi. Cheserek relied on workout instructions via email and text and twice weekly check-ins with Powell.

(Photo: Victor Sailer/New York Road Runners)

And though Cheserek is based in the U.S., he officially represents Kenya in competitions, a decision he made in 2020 as he awaits to become an American citizen. His goal is to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games.

Born in Kapchebau village in the Rift Valley of Kenya, Cheserek grew up on a farm, the fourth oldest of seven siblings. He is a member of the Marakwet, a subgroup of the Kalenjin, a tribe known for its world-dominating runners that includes two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours.

Cheserek, however, got his start in soccer before his father encouraged him to run. Though he hails from a family of runners, Cheserek is the only one to have taken his ability to an elite level. In 2010, at age 14, Cheserek left his family in Kenya and moved to the U.S. alone after he accepted a scholarship to attend St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey.

He quickly developed into a high school running phenom, winning two national titles in cross-country and setting the national record for two miles. Cheserek’s talent catapulted him into the public eye as he became one of the nation’s fastest high school runners and a blue-chip recruit.��

After Cheserek enrolled at the University of Oregon, at the time he was described in the media as one of the most exciting talents in the sport. His storied collegiate career included 14 national titles in track and three in cross-country. He became a 21-time All American by the time he graduated from Oregon in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in business. That same year, Cheserek signed a sponsorship deal with the Skechers Performance Team.��

Cheserek’s foray onto the pro circuit has yet to match the illustrious career he experienced as an amateur. Although he ran a 3:49.44 indoor mile in 2018 as a first-year pro—the second-fastest in history, at the time—he has not been on a podium at a world championship or at the Olympics, partly due to the complexity of what country he’d represent and, therefore, attempt to qualify for such prestigious global competitions.��

But Cheserek remains hopeful that more is to come, and perhaps the marathon is what he is uniquely qualified to do, more so than what he has accomplished on the track. On the starting line near the base of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island on Sunday, Cheserek will quickly figure that out.��

And though he admitted feeling a little intimidated to run his first marathon stacked against some of the world’s best, “It’s going to be tough,” Cheserek said, adding, “I’m prepared for whatever happens.”��

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His First Marathon Was in Prison. His Second Will Be in New York City.

ntriolo — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 19:16:52 +0000

Rahsaan Thomas still remembers immense leg cramps the day he completed his first marathon in 2017. On a cold Friday morning in November, he tied up a pair of donated white-and-grey Nikes and pounded around a quarter-mile loop of gravel, dirt, and concrete in a yard surrounded by barbed wire fences at San Quentin State Prison, a maximum-security facility 25 miles north of San Francisco, California.

Thomas grew up in Brownsville, in east Brooklyn, one of New York City’s poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods. He was 29 when he was arrested after he fatally shot someone and injured another during a drug deal. Three years later, Thomas was sentenced with 55 years to life for a second-degree murder conviction.

RELATED: Why I Run in Prison

While Thomas was incarcerated, he had dedicated himself to rehabilitation. He became a staff writer for the San Quentin News, a regular contributor to , and he developed into an acclaimed journalist, co-hosting the Pulitzer Prize-nominated podcast “,” an audio production created from within San Quentin highlighting daily life in prison. Thomas also worked with several criminal justice reform groups in addition to earning an associate’s degree. And he found running.

26.2 to Life

At San Quentin, Thomas had joined the prison’s in 2013, a running program led by volunteers and implemented as a way to encourage those incarcerated to run 1,000 miles or more while serving time, says the club’s head coach Frank Ruona, a former army officer and accomplished marathoner. Ruona oversees the prison’s annual marathon, which is the subject of a new documentary , directed by Christine Yoo.

“Being able to go inside prisons is very important in order for people to understand what’s really going on in the system,” Yoo says. “This is how we can begin to address reducing incarceration. We owe it to ourselves as a society not to just lock them up and throw away the key, because these are human beings who are being punished for being poor and on drugs or have developed criminal behavior as a result of growing up in abusive households, which loops back to poverty and drugs. It’s an overwhelming and depressing situation. But what I learned from the 1000 Mile Club is that it’s possible to change lives, to make a lasting impact, that with support, rehabilitation is a realistic goal, and it can change the prison system as we know it.”

Yoo says she hopes the film will inspire the incarcerated population and prison administrators to better understand the benefits of rehabilitation and want to start their own running clubs.

Running, Thomas says, gave him a breath of freedom, though it was short-lived. He ran for acceptance and simultaneously for punishment and redemption. As grueling and painful as it felt, Thomas wanted to prove that, if he could finish a marathon, he could endure anything. So he kept going around the loop, which comprised six 90-degree turns in the prison’s yard, surveilled by armed guards in towers. Thomas, nicknamed “New York,” circled it 105 times alongside a couple dozen other incarcerated men, all of whom were members of San Quentin’s 1000 Mile Club.

Dressed in loose, knee-length grey shorts and a white sweatband around his forehead, Thomas moved gingerly, urging himself not to quit. He struggled through muscle cramps on the way to finishing the marathon distance in 6 hours, 12 minutes, and 23 seconds.

“The hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Thomas, 53. Now, he will run his first marathon outside the prison walls.

“My Knees Complain”

Thomas was granted a commutation, a reduced sentence, from California Governor Gavin Newsom. After being incarcerated for nearly 23 years, he was released with parole on February 8, 2023. He celebrated that day by eating steak and French toast for breakfast, before he shopped for clothes and called his mother and his son.

Five months later, in July, Thomas began training for the New York City Marathon, as part of a pact he made with Claire Gelbart, whom he met at San Quentin when she volunteered as a journalism teaching assistant. They agreed to run a marathon together in the future if ever he was released.

(Photo: Jianca Lazarus/26.2 to Life)

“I’d always wanted to walk from Brooklyn to Harlem just to see New York,” Thomas says. “The opportunity to run all five boroughs to see the whole city really appeals to me.”

But he knows all too well that preparing to run a marathon is an art of consistency. “My knees complain,” he says, laughing. “I’m slow.”

A Natural Leader

Fitting in the training has been a calculated effort since his release nine months ago, as life has become as busy as ever. Thomas, who currently lives in the Bay Area, is awake by 6 A.M., often starting the day at the gym for an hour before plugging into continuous Zoom meetings before mentoring youth at San Francisco’s juvenile hall.

His priority is bringing awareness to , a nonprofit Thomas co-founded and launched in June 2020 while he was incarcerated. Its mission is to use art and writing to break cycles of intergenerational incarceration and poverty and achieve public safety without violence. In October, Thomas started a with the goal of raising $120,000 to support Empowerment Avenue’s programming initiatives.

Mass incarceration “only punishes symptoms like poverty, a lack of opportunities, isolation, and a culture that breeds hate,” Thomas wrote on the fundraiser page. The idea behind Empowerment Avenue is to offer a different approach by connecting incarcerated men in filmmaking, art, and journalism with respective industries to bridge creative partnerships.

“It’s about showing the world something different and at the same time getting people paid for their work so their individual lives will be better,” Thomas says. “People coming home broke and not having the opportunity to make money legally [or] being excluded from society is not a good thing.”

(Photo: Jianca Lazarus/26.2 to Life)

Thomas learned by experience while at San Quentin, where he began his writing career from his four-by-nine-foot cell. He says Empowerment Avenue helped normalize inclusion of his work as a writer from behind bars.

“When you include people in society and provide economic opportunities to heal, you get people that don’t come back to prison,” Thomas says. “You get people that become productive members of society.”

Empowerment Avenue’s fundraising initiative comprises tiered goals: $5,000 can support the expansion of a writing development program at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit, a women’s prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Gatesville, Texas; $10,000 can aid a year of books, magazines, stamps, and other supplies for Empowerment Avenue writers and artists; upwards of $40,000 will support the production of an exhibition curated by an incarcerated artist as well as funding for a film.

Thomas says his goal is to employ the formerly incarcerated on staff as he continues to expand Empowerment Avenue. He hopes that by running the New York City Marathon he can bring necessary awareness that can help make an impact.

“We’re a proof of concept. We’re showing the public the importance of having access to society, getting our messages out, holding the system accountable,” says Thomas. “No matter how hard it is, you’ve got to keep going. I keep going.”

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24 Hours with One of the World’s Best Marathoners

ntriolo — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:50:11 +0000

6:00 A.M.

Four weeks out from competing in the 2023 New York City Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious road races, an alarm clock gently buzzes, signaling the start of the day for 33-year-old Hellen Obiri.

Despite having rested for nearly nine hours, Obiri, a two-time world champion from Kenya, says the alarm is necessary, otherwise she can oversleep. This morning’s training session of 12 miles at an easy pace is the first of two workouts on her schedule for the day as she prepares for the New York City Marathon on November 5.

The race will be her third attempt in the distance since she graduated from a successful track career and transitioned into road racing in 2022. Obiri placed sixth at her marathon debut in New York last November, finishing in 2:25:49.

“I was not going there to win. I was there to participate and to learn,” she says, adding that the experience taught her to be patient with the distance. This time around in New York, she wants to claim the title.

6:38 A.M.

Obiri drinks two glasses of water, but she hasn’t eaten anything by the time she steps outside of her two-bedroom apartment in the Gunbarrel neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

In September 2022, the three-time Olympian moved nearly 9,000 miles from her home in the Ngong Hills, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, to Colorado. She wanted to pursue her marathon ambitions under the guidance of coach and three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, who is the fourth-fastest U.S. marathoner in history. Ritzenhein retired from professional running in 2020 and now oversees the Boulder-based On Athletics Club (OAC), a group of elite professional distance runners supported by Swiss sportswear company On.

Obiri, who was previously sponsored by Nike for 12 years before she signed a deal with On in 2022, said that moving across the world wasn’t a difficult decision. “It’s a great opportunity. Since I came here, I’ve been improving so well in road races.”

In April, Obiri won the Boston Marathon. It was only her second effort in the distance, and the victory has continued to fuel her momentum for other major goals that include aiming for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and also running the six most competitive and prestigious marathons in the world, known as the World Marathon Majors.

Obiri wins the Boston Marathon 2023 on April 17, 2023. (Photo: Lauren Owens Lambert/Anadolu Agency/Getty)

Obiri says goodbye to her eight-year-old daughter Tania and gets into a car to drive six miles to Lefthand trailhead, where she runs on dirt five days a week. She will train on an empty stomach, which she prefers for runs that are less than 15 miles. Once, she ate two slices of bread 40 minutes before a 21-mile run and was bothered by side stitches throughout the workout. Now, she is exceptionally careful about her fueling habits.

6:56 A.M.

Three runners stretch next to their cars as Obiri clicks a watch on her right wrist and begins to shuffle her feet. Her warmup is purposely slow. In this part of Colorado, at 5,400 feet, the 48-degree air feels frostier and deserving of gloves, but Obiri runs without her hands covered. She is dressed in a thin olive-colored jacket, long black tights, and a black pair of unreleased On shoes.

Obiri’s feet clap against a long dirt road flanked by farmland that is dotted with horses and a few donkeys. Her breath is hardly audible as she escalates her rhythm to an average pace of six minutes and 14 seconds per mile. This run adds to her weekly program of 124 miles—some days, she runs twice. The cadence this morning is hardly tough on her lungs as she runs with her mouth closed, eyes intently staring ahead at the cotton-candy pink sunrise.

“Beautiful,” Obiri says.

Her body navigates each turn as though on autopilot. Obiri runs alone on easy days like today, but for harder sessions, up to four pacers will join her.

“They help me to get the rhythm of speed,” Obiri says. For longer runs exceeding 15 miles, Ritzenhein will bike alongside Obiri to manage her hydration needs, handing her bottles of Maurten at three-mile increments.

8:21 A.M.

After an hour, Obiri wipes minimal sweat glistening on her forehead. Her breathing is steady, and her face appears as fresh as when she began the run. She does not stretch before getting into the car to return home.

The remainder of the morning is routine: a shower followed by a breakfast of bread, Weetabix cereal biscuits, a banana, and Kenyan chai—a mix of milk, black tea, and sugar. She likes to drink up to four cups of chai throughout the day, making the concoction with tea leaves gifted from fellow Kenyan athletes she sees at races.

Then, she will nap, sometimes just for 30 minutes, and other times upwards of two hours. “The most important thing is sleeping,” Obiri says. “When I go to my second run [of the day], I feel my body is fresh to do the workout. If I don’t sleep, I feel a lot of fatigue from the morning run.”

1:00 P.M.

Obiri prepares lunch. Normally she eats at noon, but today her schedule is busier than usual. She cooks rice, broccoli, beets, carrots, and cabbage mixed with peanuts. Sometimes she makes chapati, a type of Indian flatbread commonly eaten in Kenya, or else she eats beans with rice.

The diet is typical among elite Kenyan athletes, and she hasn’t changed her eating habits since moving to the U.S. Obiri discovered a grocery store in Denver that offers African products, so she stocks up on ingredients like ground corn flour, which she uses to make ugali, a dense porridge and staple dish in many East African countries. She is still working through 20 pounds of flour she bought in June.

2:15 P.M.

Obiri receives an hour massage, part of her routine in the early afternoon, three times a week. Usually the session is at the hands of a local physiotherapist, but sometimes Austin-based physiotherapist Kiplimo Chemirmir will fly in for a few days. Chemirmir, a former elite runner from Kenya, practices what he refers to as “Kenthaichi massage,” an aggressive technique that involves stretching muscles in short intervals.

3:00 P.M.

Ritzenhein modifies Obiri’s training schedule, omitting her afternoon six-mile run so she can rest for the remainder of the day and reset for a speed workout tomorrow morning. Last fall, he took over training Obiri, who was previously coached by her agent Ricky Simms, who represented Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, an eight-time gold medalist and world record holder, and British long distance runner Mo Farah, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Ritzenhein has programmed Obiri’s progression into the marathon with more volume and strength training. The meticulous preparation is essential to avoid the aftermath of her marathon debut in New York City last fall, when she was escorted off the course in a wheelchair after lacking a calculated fueling and hydration strategy. Obiri had averaged running 5:33-minute miles on a hilly route that is considered to be one of the most difficult of all the world marathon major races.

“It’s a real racing race. You have to make the right moves; you have to understand the course,” Ritzenhein says of the New York City Marathon. “We’ve changed some things in training to be a little more prepared. We’ve been going to Magnolia Road, which is a very famous place from running lore—high altitude, very hilly. We’ve been doing some long runs up there. In general, she’s got many more 35 and 40K [21 and 24 miles] runs than she had before New York last year.”

In New York, Obiri is aiming to keep pace alongside a decorated elite field that will include Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir, former women’s marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, and defending New York Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi, all of whom are from Kenya. In fact, Kenyan women have historically dominated at the New York City Marathon, winning nine titles since 2010 and 14 total to date, the most of any country since women were permitted to race in 1972.

“They are all friendly ladies,” Obiri says. “But you know, in sports we are enemies. It’s like a war. Everybody wants to win.”

3:10 P.M.

While Obiri is finishing her massage, her daughter returns from school. Though Obiri arrived in Colorado last fall, her husband Tom Nyaundi and their daughter didn’t officially move to the U.S. until this past March. The adjustment, Obiri says, was a hard moment for the family.

“We didn’t have a car. In the U.S. you can’t move [around] if you don’t have a car. We had a very good team that helped us a lot,” Obiri says of the OAC, whom she refers to as her friends. “The athletes made everything easier for us. They were dropping my daughter to school. Coach would pick me up in the morning, take me to massage, to the store. I was lucky they were very supportive.” Now, Obiri says she and her family have fully adjusted to living in the U.S.

3:20 P.M.

Obiri returns home and makes a tomato and egg sandwich before taking another nap. Usually she naps for up to two hours after lunch. Today, her nap is later and will last for two and a half hours.

7:00 P.M.

Obiri doesn’t eat out or order takeaway. “We are not used to American food,” she says, smiling. “I enjoy making food at home.” Dinner is a rotation of Kenyan dishes like sukuma wiki—sautéed collard greens that accompany ugali—or pilau, a rice-based dish made with chicken, goat, or beef. This evening, she prepares ugali with sukuma wiki and fried eggs.

8:30 P.M.

Before bed, Obiri says she can’t resist a nightcap of Kenyan chai. She will pray before falling asleep. And when she wakes up at 6:00 A.M. the next day, she will prepare for a track session, the intervals of which add up to nearly 13 miles: a 5K warmup, followed by 1 set of 4×200 meters at 32 seconds (200 meter jog between each rep); 3 sets of 4×200 meters at 33 seconds�� (200 meter jog between each rep); 5×1600 meters at 5:12 (200 meter jog between each rep) and finishing with a 5K cool down.

The workout is another one in the books that will bring her a step closer to the starting line of the race she envisions winning. “I feel like I’m so strong,” Obiri says. She knows New York will be tough. But “when I go to a race I say, ‘you have to fight.’ And if you try and give your best, you will do something good.”

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This Unconventional Retreat in the French Pyrenees Offers More than Miles

ntriolo — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 17:40:50 +0000

Early morning in the Ariège Pyrénées in southwest France offers an exhale of sherbert-colored light that colors the horizon. Daybreak glows over granite and volcanic rock jutting from the surface of the earth. The air is refreshingly cool; life here is wild, remote and still.

If you can get here, a dose of this serenity is a reward. That is part of the challenge seven miles away for a group of 15 runners from all over the world as they plunge their feet onto the serrated terrain, carefully surveying the ground with each step. They’d gathered two days ago in Toulouse, France, introducing themselves by first name and astrological sign.

“You can call me Mau,” said Mexican ultrarunner Maurcio Díaz, adding, “Aries, a lot of fire!”

He is here with the group as part of a weeklong retreat in the Gaudies region of France, hosted by , a running brand cofounded by Díaz in Mexico City, in 2018, with creative partner and photographer Daniel Almazán Klinckwort and Manuel Morato.

The idea behind Aire Libre (“free air,” in Spanish) is to bring runners off-road and into nature through curated trail running and hiking excursions led by local experts, often weaving in a spiritual dimension. It encourages each person to simultaneously disconnect and reconnect.

(Photo: Edgar Garcia)

A Good Kind of Crazy

“It’s a different way to appreciate running,” Díaz says. Soft-spoken with a thick, dark beard that envelopes half of his face, Díaz is the good kind of crazy, a man whose reserved demeanor doesn’t reveal his outrageously adventurous side.

One time, he ran 56 miles with a few friends, starting at 5:30 A.M. across the Sonoran desert in northwestern Mexico, a desolate area that is home to the Indigenous Seri people. The ultra was not a competition. Rather, it was a self-induced challenge—a dangerous one, too. Díaz intended to run two marathons back-to-back in stifling heat across 13 hours on a route known now for drug trafficking. There was a moment when he began to break down from excruciating pain in his knees and calves; he didn’t know if he could endure another step. Díaz was ready to quit until a Seri leader, who had been escorting the runners, began chanting and playing instruments as part of a ritual.

“It’s a different way to appreciate running.”

By the end of the journey at the Sea of Cortez, where Díaz plunged into cool saltwater, he had a born-again moment with running. Rather than being absorbed by splits on a watch, or Strava, or collecting a race medal, what if running could be a means to understand that nature and movement are essential for one’s life and happiness?

The question seeded his motivation to discover more of the world through running, and to bring others along the journey. Díaz brought it to life with Aire Libre, a series of mindfulness and cultural running retreats around the world—among them in the Andes Mountain Range in Peru, Chile’s Lake District on the northern tip of Patagonia, on ancient trails in Oaxaca, Mexico, and high into the mountains of the Pyrénées in France.

Playground Amid the Peaks

Stretching 270 miles along the French-Spanish border, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, the French Pyrénées appear unblemished by human touch. The landscape, anchored in the Occitanie region of France, is a palace of emerald valleys and lakes adjacent glacier streams that offer a sort of white noise lullaby. Wild goats freckle the narrow ridges, unfazed by the high altitude, which can exceed 10,000 feet.

(Photo: Edgar Garcia)

Thirty-four-year-old Thomas Galpin, the mountain guide for this retreat, lives on the outskirts of Toulouse and describes the Pyrénées as more rugged and rustic compared to the better-known French Alps. After a decade of spending weekends running and hiking in the Pyrénées, Galpin, he decided to solo-traverse 500 miles across the whole mountain range in 30 days in 2019.

“This is my garden,” he tells the group of mostly late 30-something men and women.

Many here have already participated in at least one previous Aire Libre retreat, drawn back by the power of the experiences. You know what you’re getting yourself into, a few of them say.

Galpin will lead the group along today’s route, considered the most demanding in Ariège: seven miles with 4,000 feet of elevation gain. The participants—from as far away as San Francisco, Chicago, and Mexico City—stand at the beginning of the unnamed route, marked with two perpendicular white and red lines. The singletrack trail leads to Mont Fourcat, where the peak offers a sweeping view of the upper Ariège.

Díaz had told the group at the start of the hike, “This trail is like a door. We are entering a space that will be our playground. I like to talk to the Earth, touch the ground.” Consider setting an intention, Díaz encouraged. “It’s important to establish a connection with the land.” Silence followed as each participant closed their eyes. A few people knelt down and imprinted their hands on the dirt or cradled a rock.

Galpin sets a leisurely pace that will bring the group to the top of Mont Fourcat in six hours. “It’s hard to explain what it gives you,” Galpin says as he begins a sweat-inducing saunter up the steep incline. “But it’s very pure. You have to be patient and grateful with the environment.”

Though the retreat, which includes hiking, trail running, and yoga, is classified as “intermediate” level on Aire Libre’s website, the fitness and athletic abilities of each participant ranges widely. To maintain cohesiveness, Galpin takes several breaks, including a picnic with saucisson and brie sandwiches dabbed with homemade hummus.

Each person carries two days worth of essentials loaded onto their backs. They will basecamp at , the highest refuge in Ariège, at 8,021 feet, and will explore the surrounding peaks and trails, one of which threads south into Andorra.

Extended Family

The scent of salt, fat, and carbs wafts through the air early evening as the group lumbers onto a wooden deck, finally arriving at the refuge. It no longer feels like summer. Rather, a blanket of fall meets winter. Up here, the mountains look otherworldly.

“We’re a step closer to heaven,” says Dan O’Brien, 30, a senior manager of financial planning from Chicago, who came along for his second Aire Libre retreat.

“Bonjour,” says Lolo, a scruffy-bearded man, as he snubs out a cigarette while jamming to rock and roll music on a radio. Lolo is one of three guardians at the refuge. He remains onsite in 10-day increments, cooking and cleaning for guests. The lodging is open from the end of June until mid-September, and it’s so remote that the majority of supplies are delivered four times a year, via helicopter.

“This place is completely Wes Anderson-esque,” Díaz says as he walks to the front of the refuge’s beautiful exterior—part chocolate brown wood paneling and stone with red-orange shutters. Everyone removes their dirt-caked shoes before entering. Crocs are available for guests, shelved by the doorway.

Inside serves the kind of chill that requires a jacket at all times, especially to sleep. A source of warmth is rationed as one four-minute hot shower per guest per day before the water automatically shuts off. Solar power keeps the electricity on during the day, but headlamps are the only light source at night, used also to find one’s way to their bed in one of nine bunk-style dormitories, outfitted with twin-sized mattresses that are spaced inches apart.

(Photo: Edgar Garcia)

After everyone settles, beer and red wine flow as they sit around wrapped in wool blankets, appearing euphoric yet dazed. Lolo prepares lentil soup, ratatouille, and beef stew that will precede a cheese plate and a pear tart. Over dinner, a question is posed: Why are you here? What compelled each person to shell out $2,500—the price tag sans flight—to partake in this physically demanding escape from their daily realities?

Díaz recognizes that the demographic of Aire Libre retreats trends toward groups of mostly single individuals in their late 30s with disposable income. But he shares that the retreats are also certainly not designed to be an exclusive experience. He is working to shift this narrative with partnerships and grants as a way to offset the costs and offer complimentary spots for people without the financial means to participate.

For now, many participants are those who have the means to explore corners of the world they wouldn’t feel comfortable traveling to solo. One runner comments that these retreats are a way to meet friends with similar interests that don’t only revolve around children.

“There is something special about the combination of wonderful people from all over the world, while pushing yourself to new limits and discovering parts of the world you could only see from exploring on foot,” says Shelby Rhodes, a chief of staff for YouTube in California. This is her third Aire Libre retreat.

“The challenge of doing something I’m scared of,” says Jacqueline Arroyo, a hair designer from Mexico City. “That’s what makes the experience beautiful.”

Another participant, Julie Morill, an international emergency preparedness consultant from Virginia, uses the term “Type 2 fun,” that sweet spot of suffering in the moment that afterward recasts into a sense of accomplishment.

“The challenge of doing something I’m scared of. That’s what makes the experience beautiful.”

And for Stefan Fiebig, a software project manager from Hamburg, Germany, it’s to seek meaningful connections that he can’t seem to build in the commercial running landscape, where lucrative sponsorships from multi-million dollar brands influence the experience, and can make the running experience feel less intimate. He thinks Aire Libre is a welcome contrast, a non-corporate way to connect to the sport, and now the retreats are how he prefers to travel. “It feels like family when you’re on one of these trips,” he says.

The retreats are indeed tight-knit, with an average of 15 participants. Díaz comments that the experiences tend to attract open-minded individuals ready for a challenge–perhaps even an epiphany. “Whoever comes is probably at a point in life where they’re going through X or Y,” he says. “Much of the time it has to do with self-discovery.”

Running as Harmony

Two days after ascending Mont Fourcat, followed by a 10-mile run-hike over the Tristagne mountain range the next day, the group is ready to lay still. Full-body soreness has left many in need of a more gentle activity. But first they must retrace their footsteps down the mountain—another four hours of walking, after which they arrive at a parking lot where they left two vans. The group drives off on a traffic-less road that slices through sunflower fields. Within an hour, the vans pull into a gravel driveway surrounded by French and English lavender that leads to , an 18th-century stone farmhouse that is the base for the duration of the trip.

(Photo: Edgar Garcia)

The property, formerly a working dairy farm until the 1970s, was purchased and restored in 2014 by a British couple, Mike and Joss Tucker, who now operate it as a bed and breakfast, often hosting cycling, running and wellness retreats throughout the year.

Local instructor and mountain guide-in-training Solenne Gauthier meets the group to lead a yoga session, while each runner rolls out a mat onto the grass outside the farmhouse. Aire Libre retreats incorporate various practices like this to weave mindfulness into the running component. Some practices are specific to the locality—like offering a temazcal ceremony in Mexico—while each ritual is integrated as a means to help each person feel grounded and present, Díaz says.

The retreat ends with an immersive surprise visit to , a honeybee farm operated by Anne Kneur-Didier. She welcomes the group into a room and allocates various white bee suits. Then, Kneur-Didier leads a walk down to dozens of dark wooden boxes full of hives. She has a favorite, lifting a tray covered with thousands of bees. This particular hive is more cooperative, she explains, as she uses her bare hands to pick up the queen bee tagged with a green sticker. Bees circle and buzz, clinging onto everyone’s clothing, and yet, there is a serenity at play among the two-legged ones and the winged ones.

Perhaps running is just the excuse, and that what really brought everyone here on this running retreat is to better understand a life best understood in harmony.

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Eliud Kipchoge’s Greatest Competition at the Berlin Marathon? Himself.

ntriolo — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 18:25:35 +0000

In April, marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge did something unusual: He apologized for losing. On a cold and rainy Monday at the Boston Marathon, the two-time Olympic champion from Kenya faded from the front pack after leading for 19 miles of the race. He finished sixth overall in 2:09:23, three minutes behind winner Evans Chebet of Kenya.

The next day, Kipchoge sat behind a blue table dressed in an orange jacket and gripping a microphone as he faced a frenzy of questions from the media about his uncharacteristic performance. His left leg gave him problems during the race, Kipchoge said during a post-marathon press conference. Despite that, no, he didn’t think about quitting, adding, “they say it’s important to win, but it’s great to participate and finish.”

Kipchoge’s performance and words were a mark of resilience at the world’s oldest annual marathon, and one of the most prestigious road races across the globe. Now, five months after his highly-publicized Boston debut, he is ready for another run this Sunday, September 24, when he toes the starting line for the 49th edition of the Berlin Marathon at 9:15 A.M. CET (3:15 E.T.).

Coach Patrick Sang and Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin. (Photo: Courtesy of NN Running Team)

“I Fell Down, But I Got Back Up.”

“This is the higher branch now,” Kipchoge said on Thursday morning at the Intercontinental Hotel, the elite athlete hub for the marathon. “I grabbed this one, and I’ll wait for the next one.”

The analogy is one he often references about moving forward. “If you want to be successful, then you learn from failure. I failed in Boston. I fell down, but I got back up.”

Kipchoge arrived in the German capital on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, greeted at the airport with a bouquet of sunflowers from Claus-Henning Schulke, the man who has served as Kipchoge’s race day bottle handler since 2017. Though a light blue face mask covered Kipchoge’s signature pearly wide smile as he wheeled a carry-on suitcase, his eyes glowed as he hugged Schulke and received the flowers, an annual tradition here in Berlin and symbolic of good fortune.

“It’s like home,” Kipchoge said as he sat calmly sipping tea, smiling as he reflected on his previous Berlin Marathon experiences. He has visited Berlin several times in the past, and the city holds special significance. It’s where he achieved two marathon world records, lastly in 2022, when he ran 2:01:09, lowering his former world mark from 2018 by 30 seconds.

Kipchoge’s Outstanding Track and Marathon Career

After a standout track career as a 5,000-meter specialist, Kipchoge found his calling in 26.2 miles in 2013, when he debuted in Hamburg, Germany. He won and set a course record of 2:05:30 in the process. Five months later, Kipchoge ran his first Berlin Marathon, finishing second to fellow countryman Wilson Kipsang, who won in world-record time. Kipchoge would go on to win 15 marathons, including four London Marathon titles and back-to-back victories in 2016 and 2022 at the Olympic Games. (Two of the marathons—the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in 2019 and the Nike-sponsored Breaking2 project in 2017—were not an open competition, and therefore his times of 2:00:25 and 1:59:40 are not officially recognized by World Athletics.)

An artist in Berlin paints a mural of Kipchoge in anticipation of his 2023 race. (Photo: Courtesy of NN Running Team)

Berlin Marathon 2023: The Calm Before the Storm

Three days out from the start of the marathon, life is business as usual for the defending champion—who has earned four Berlin Marathon titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. Kipchoge woke up at 6:10 A.M. for a jog in Tiergarten, Berlin’s largest and most popular urban park. Then, he sipped tea followed by a massage before several interviews from local and international press.

He is as calm as ever, not minding the fact that he will face off against a field that includes Kenyan Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, and the second-fastest entrant at this year’s Berlin race. Kipruto finished second to Kipchoge at the Tokyo Marathon in 2022. Kipchoge’s personal best is two minutes faster than Kipruto’s 2:03:13 finish.

In his sixth Berlin Marathon appearance, the 38-year-old Kipchoge is aiming for an unprecedented fifth title. He is currently tied atop the list of most Berlin Marathon victories (four) with retired Ethiopian champion Haile Gebrselassie, who also twice lowered the marathon world record in Berlin.

“I want to win the race,” Kipchoge flatly declared. But Berlin is also a strategic step as he eyes one of three men’s spots on Kenya’s team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. “Berlin is good preparation for next year’s Olympics in Paris,” he added.

Berlin is part of the World Marathon Majors circuit—the six largest and most competitive international marathons that include Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago, and New York City. A race that attracts world-class competition annually, the flat asphalt course with wide sweeping turns (and the race’s hired pacemakers, brought to assist the elites to run a fast time) has monopolized record-breaking activity since 1998; nine men’s world records, including two from Kipchoge, have been achieved at the Berlin Marathon, the most of any World Marathon Majors race.

“The streets love my muscles,” Kipchoge says, laughing. “The crowds are wonderful, too.”

Left-to-right: Noah Kipkemboi, Eliud Kipchoge, Hillary Chepkwony (Photo: Courtesy of NN Running Team)

Compared to his 2022 season, not much of his routine has changed. Kipchoge, who trains under coach Patrick Sang at Global Sports Communication Training Camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, routinely tallies 136 miles a week, often running twice a day at 8,200 feet above sea level in the Rift Valley of Kenya. He couples high mileage with twice-weekly hour-long cycling on an indoor trainer along with 10-minute ice baths two days a week after speed work. And he sleeps at least nine hours a day to recover from it all. The intense routine has kept Kipchoge at the top of his form for 20 marathons to date. Berlin will be his 21st marathon.

“I’ve never missed a training,” Kipchoge says. “I can say I’m ready.”

Yet, as ready as he feels, even the marathon king gets nervous. “Nervousness shows that I am ready to race,” he says. “Nervousness shows that the mind and the whole body are ready to conquer the streets. The moment you are not nervous shows that something is actually not good.”

While he doesn’t let on about a specific time, one thing is clear, Kipchoge’s objective is to have a “good” race.

“Running a good time and enjoying the race and inspiring all of my fans,” he says, grinning. “That’s what I call good.”

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Noah Lyles Is Coming for Usain Bolt’s World Record��

ntriolo — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 05:26:18 +0000

After cruising through the semifinal of the 200 meters on August 24 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, American Noah Lyles will aim for gold in the final on Friday at 9:50 P.M. local time (3:50 P.M. ET) alongside teen sprint phenom Erriyon Knighton of the U.S. Lyles ran 19.76, the top time in the field of 27 competitors that competed across three heats.

Lyles and 19-year-old Knighton, the youngest-ever individual sprint medalist in world championships history, will be joined by 100-meter bronze medalist Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain as well as Kenny Bednarek of the U.S., silver medalist in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Canadian Andre De Grasse, the Olympic champion in the event.

Just 0.12 seconds separate Lyles from tying the world record in his signature event, the 200 meters. He is currently the behind Jamaicans Yohan Blake and eight-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Usain Bolt, who retired in 2017.

Noah Lyles celebrates after competing in the Men’s 200m semifinal on day six of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on August 24. (Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Image/Getty)

A World Record in His Sights

As Lyles prepares for the 200-meter final on August 25, the “it guy” is bent on one big quest: to break a record that has stood for 14 years.

Bolt set the mark of 19.19 seconds during the 2009 world championships in Berlin, running at a top speed of more than 23 miles per hour, and improving his previous world record by more than a 10th of a second.

Lyles was just 12 years old at the time and had just started track, initially as a high jumper before he pursued sprinting at age 15. Lyles and his younger brother Josephus bypassed college athletics and turned pro after graduating from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2016, and signed an eight-year contract with Adidas.

He moved to Clermont, Florida, to be trained by top sprints coach Lance Brauman. That year, Lyles would go on to place fourth in the final of the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, breaking a 31-year-old national high school record in the process.

One year later, Lyles won his first senior national title, and in 2019, he earned his first of four world titles (including two in 200 meters, one in 4 x 100). Following his bronze medal performance in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the next season he clocked 19.31 at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, a number he had worked for in the build up to that race. He took down sprint legend Michael Johnson’s 25-year American record, which Johnson famously set in 19.32 seconds while wearing golden shoes at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Lyles’s achievement at last year’s world championships bumped him above Johnson to number three of all-time in the 200 meters.

“I’ve Always Known That I’m the Fastest Man in the World”

Lyles, 26, is the defending world champion in 200 meters, and is focusing on collecting his third gold in the event as he also aims to revise Bolt’s world record to 19.10 seconds.

Nine days before the start of the world championships, Lyles had openly declared on social media the times he would run for both the 100 and 200 meters: 9.65 and 19.10, respectively. “They say if they don’t know your dreams then they can’t shoot them down. But I have always been more of a guy who loves to hear the screams from the [haters], got a nice ring to it,” Lyles wrote in a captioned photo on his Instagram.

“I’ve always known that I’m the fastest man in the world,” he said after posting his fastest 100-meter in 9.83 seconds on August 20, at the National Athletics Center, and earned his first world title in the event. “In my head, I think I’m going to break it, but everybody else has their own opinions,” Lyles said.

Taking down Bolt’s 200-meter world record is the subject of an exclusive docuseries, “,” which premiered on Peacock the day before the start of the world championships. His mother Keisha Caine said in an interview for the docuseries what she wants for her son is “to go out there and have fun. And I know when Noah is having fun, he runs really well.”

In a short matter of time, Lyles will let his speed determine what that is.

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This Elite Running Camp in Tuscany Is a Dream

ntriolo — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:12:39 +0000

Yohanes Chiappinelli, 26, sits on a wooden bench alongside five other international runners inside a small church in the countryside. Soft orange light gleams outside the entrance on this Tuesday evening in Tuscany. The Ethiopian-born Italian marathoner, currently the fourth-fastest in the country, is dressed in blue jeans, a grey hoodie and running shoes. He quietly waits during the golden hour as a priest lights candles at an altar. These athletes are here for a benediction 11 days before the start of the World Athletics Championships.

Italian coach Giuseppe Giambrone likes his runners to be blessed before important competitions. He is a man so religious that he crosses himself to acknowledge God’s presence multiple times a day, especially when he drives by a church. Once, Giambrone brought a few of his athletes to Rome, where they met Pope Francis during a private service.

Three dozen people file inside for the ceremony. Giambrone’s hand shakes as he holds a piece of paper scribbled with blue ink and begins to read out loud. “Ai ragazzi che parteciperanno ai mondiali di atletica leggera a Budapest…” (To the boys who will participate in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest) I am very proud of you. I would like to offer a prayer in the hope that they can have a great race and be victorious.” Tears stream down his cheeks as everyone claps.

The athletes he is referring to—Ugandan Oscar Chelimo, Burundians Egide Ntakarutimana, Francine Niyomukunzi, Onesphore Nzikwinkunda, Olivier Irabaruta, Amin Mohamed Jhinaoui of Tunisia, and Chiappinelli—are top professional distance runners who live full-time in the heart of Tuscany. For the past several months, they’ve been preparing to compete in various events, ranging from the 3,000-meter steeplechase to the marathon, at the 19th edition of the World Athletics Championships, which are currently underway as of August 19 and conclude on Sunday, August 27.

The environment they live in is full of lush rolling hills and unpaved white roads made of crushed limestone (referred to as strade bianche) that weave around sunflower fields, Sangiovese vineyards, meadows, and medieval churches.

(Photo: Francesca Grana)

Come run, and you’ll encounter a dozen routes exceeding the distance of a half marathon, a fluctuation of flat paths and steep inclines, sometimes smooth or else rocky. The terrain is “good for proprioception,” Giambrone says. In other words, it’s a sensory experience that promotes body awareness. For speed work, athletes train on a dirt track nearby or on a synthetic version in Siena, a 20-minute drive away.

In the countryside, there’s little else to do besides eat, sleep, and run—typical of elite training camps. But unlike other elite camps, which are often located at an altitude exceeding 5,000 feet and focus more so on perfecting biomechanics and improving individual race performance, Tuscany Camp is a marriage of expert coaching in an environment that promotes camaraderie as much as it does training and recovery.

Though the elevation in San Rocco hardly tips 800 feet, one reason Giambrone founded Tuscany Camp in this region is due to its environmental conditions. Summer temperatures are often upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit in San Rocco, cruel though advantageous on the body. Research suggests that heat training can offer benefits of running at high altitude.

An Incubator for Elite Performance

At any given time, Tuscany Camp hosts elite athletes from all over the world. In years past, that has included South African Olympic champion sprinter Caster Semenya, the Chinese Olympic Team, and high-level runners from Japan. Earlier this year, several runners from the —comprising athletes that have fled conflict, violence, and injustice in their home countries—used Tuscany Camp as a training base for two months in preparation for competitions.

(Photo: Francesca Grana/On)

Currently, there are 21 professional runners from Italy, Tunisia, Uganda, and Burundi that live on-site the majority of the year and are sponsored by On, an athletic shoe and performance sportswear company headquartered in Zurich. The On-sponsored elites live, train, and eat alongside other high-level runners that visit the camp.

The athletes live in a 18th-century restored classical Tuscan villa that was originally built for the Borghesi Bichi, a noble family with close ties to the Vatican. Later, it was home to Alessandro Sanminiatelli Zabarella before he was appointed as Cardinal in 1899 by Pope Leo XIII.

A Dream Realized

Laura Neri, a descendant of the Borghesi Bichi family, now owns the 20-bedroom property, which also includes two apartments. She had been following Tuscany Camp on social media when Giambrone reached out. For years, he bounced around the village training a few Ugandan athletes that lived in a small hotel room with twin-sized beds.

Giambrone paid out of pocket for eight years to keep the camp afloat. Meanwhile, he sought support from major athletic brands, but none were interested. Later, when he wanted to bring in more athletes to coach, his real estate search for a larger space led to dead-ends. Property owners didn’t want to rent a house for African athletes, Giambrone says, until Neri’s offer. She agreed to lease at a moderate monthly rate.

At the time, the property was mostly empty, and a couple of rooms were overgrown with plants and infested with mice. Giambrone hand renovated some areas during the pandemic. In January 2022, On became the main sponsor. “No big company believed in me until partnering with On,” Giambrone says.

Tuscany Camp Coach Giuseppe Giambrone (Photo: Francesca Grana/On)

A training camp had been Giambrone’s dream since he was a teen growing up in Sicily. Giambrone’s first brush with coaching began when he was asked at age 12 to help mentor a youth running team at his church. A mid-distance athlete during his childhood, Giambrone stopped competing due to health problems. Instead of leaving the sport completely, he studied it closely, eventually earning a technical coaching license, certified by the Italian Athletics Federation. Years later, in January 2014, he traveled to Uganda in search of developing talent, and, in collaboration with the Uganda Athletics Federation, he began his training camp in Tuscany and recruited promising runners.

Giambrone would go on to mentor 50 runners into elites (including eight Olympians) that have collectively amassed 22 international medals and set seven national records for their home countries. He also coached Olympic bronze medalist Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda to a world record (Kiplimo ran at the 2021 Lisbon Half Marathon). Kiplimo’s younger brother Oscar, a 5,000-meter bronze medalist at last year’s world championships, is a resident at Tuscany Camp. He will again compete in 5,000 meters at the world championships, the first round of which is scheduled on August 24, day six of competition.

Without the financial means to build a new facility, renting the villa as the training base was a miracle, Giambrone says. The athletes certainly don’t complain about their ancient abode, the interior of which features marble accents, parquet wood floors and hand-painted ceilings.

The property is equipped to support a runner’s every need: an indoor and outdoor pool; a cold-water immersion tub; a sauna, and a massage room with a Tecar therapy machine and cryoultrasound. There are also two gyms, one of which is housed in a former wine cellar..

Preparing for the World Stage

Ten days out from the start of the World Athletics Championships, the kitchen bustles at 7:15 AM with a half-dozen runners making shots of espresso. The nutty aroma of freshly ground coffee beans perfumes the room as demitasse cups fill under a De’Longhi machine.

Chiappinelli drizzles olive oil on a small piece of bread layered with peanut butter. He adds a few drops of liquid vitamin D and eats it. Chiappinelli is being cautious of his nutrition as he heads into his second marathon on August 27, the final day of competition at the world championships.

(Photo: Francesca Grana)

The race will be his third appearance at the most prestigious athletics competition outside of the Olympic Games (he competed in 2017 and 2019 in the steeplechase on both occasions). Chiappinelli debuted in the marathon in February in Seville, clocking 2:09:46. He is aiming for a top-10 finish in Budapest.

Within the hour, Giambrone parks a nine-passenger Ford Transit into a wheat field. He steps onto a cornerless, flat road adjacent to wildflowers and blackberry bushes, and waits for five runners in the men’s distance group. The speed session calls for 15 x 1,000 meters. Any shade on the road is gone, and there is no breeze to puncture the humid, 80-degree air by the time the group arrives at 9:11 A.M.

Chiappinelli finishes a three-mile warmup alongside Emanuel Ghergut, 27, a top-ranked middle-distance runner and regional champion in the 5,000-meter, from Florence, who has joined the camp for two weeks. He will attempt to keep up alongside Chiappinelli as well as three-time Olympian Olivier Irabaruta and Onesphore Nzikwinkunda. The latter two will represent Burundi in the marathon in Budapest.

When they arrive, Giambrone briefs the workout before the men line up single file on the side of the road. Giambrone clicks a stopwatch, and the athletes catapult into sprinting as he scrambles back into the van and punches the gas pedal with his foot. Their speed looks as though they are competing with each other, but really they are working together. Each runner will take turns at the front. Though these men represent three countries, all are here to help each other level up.

One hand on the steering wheel, the other gripping a stopwatch, Giambrone shouts, “Ale! Ale!” Come on! Their pace is the equivalent of a sub-4:40 minute mile, and they will maintain it throughout the workout. Ghergut drops behind by a few seconds just three reps into the session. Sweat glitters on his forehead. His clothes cling to his body like a second skin. He will continue in the back for the remaining reps—and not on purpose. By rep seven, he can barely catch his breath as he chugs from a water bottle.

“I’m only human,” he says. The gap between Ghergut and the others will expand to nine seconds. Watching in person looks as though they are performing two different workouts.

“The boys are crazy horses,” Ghergut says. Despite the challenge of keeping up with elites during each training session, he appreciates learning from their ways, especially how they take care of themselves. “They never underestimate recovery.”

Though Ghergut is a member of an amateur team, Toscana Atletica Jolly, he trains mostly alone in Florence because, as he explains, there aren’t many others of his caliber in the city. “Teamwork always pays off,” Ghergut says. “I’ve come to the right place.”

(Photo: Francesca Grana)

Synergy is what Giambrone aims to cultivate as runners like Ghergut pass through the training camp. That, in fact, is a core philosophy at Tuscany Camp. Everyone is focused on winning, but the idea is to be united while working toward individual goals.

Ghergut finishes his workout after 10 reps. “I’m definitely dead,” he says, gasping for air as he waits for the others, who continue with five more reps. “But I’m so happy.”

Chiappinelli is finally done with the morning workout after running 1,000 meters 15 times. The athletes bump fists as Giambrone shouts from afar, “Milk! Drink the milk!” Chiappinelli packed a recovery beverage: 12-ounces of skim milk with two teaspoons of white sugar and a pinch of salt. The elites usually drink the mixture from a sports bottle within three minutes of a tough workout like today, as part of their recovery routine.

He grabs the bottle as the guys pile into the van, their workout clothes dripping. The athletes will shower quickly and put on their swim trunks. A recovery bath is in order in Monticiano, 14 miles away.

At least twice a month, athletes at Tuscany Camp retreat to the Petriolo thermal baths and lay in mineral-rich pools. Part of the water is cold enough to raise goosebumps while another area makes your skin feel like it’s cooking in 109-degree soup. It’s a natural version of contrast therapy, a technique used to improve blood circulation in the body—and they’ll need this recovery ahead of a second training session in the afternoon.

Later, they will share conversation over plates of herb baked chicken and pesto fusilli. When their stomachs are full and they turn down for the evening, they’ll sign off the night “buona notte” to each other before they wake up and do it all over again.

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